Apparatus for making bottle caps



April i3, 937. C, A. MaCCORDY 2,076,906

. APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOTTLE CAPS I Filed July 27, 1935 i? Sheet-he3etl I mi .In HM 23 "u %1 I? l e ,g f Ii g f N "i N ENToR a/CM Wirwfss i vn By Uw @am @M V TT i )EP/EVS April 13, 1937. 'n C, A. MaCCORDYAPPARATUS FOR MAKING BOTTLE CAPS Filed July 27, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4M @uw Patented Apr. 13, 1937 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR. MAKING BOTTLECAPS charles A. Mccordy, syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Sanitary Metal CapCorporation, Syracuse, N. Y.

Application July 27, 1933, Serial No. 682,474

38 Claims.

'Ihis invention relates to an apparatus for making overall bottle capsin which and by which the cap is formed in one piece, preferably Y froma sheet of light, strong and durable metal having a high degree ofductility, malleability and tenacity such, for example, as tissuealuminum of about the thickness of cellophane or thin tinfoil capable ofbeing easily molded under pressure to the desired form under atmospherictemperatures and of retaining its form under ordinary usage.

The main object is to produce in one operation a bottle cap of thischaracter with a central cupshaped portion and a marginal skirt portionin which the cup-shaped portion is of slightly less diameter than theinterior diameter of the mouth of the bottle while the skirt portion isof slightly greater diameter than that of the head of the bottle so thatthe cap may easily'drop into place upon the bottle by its own Weightready to be sealed thereon by any suitable capping machine in a mannerhereinafter described.

Another object is to render the cap self-retaining upon the bottle whenapplied thereto without extra retaining means.

A further object is to form the overturned` rim of the cup-shapedportion with substantially radial ribs and grooves alternating with eachother in regular order for reinforcing and expansion purposes.- i

One of the specic objects is to rumple the skirt in an axial directionabout its circumference during its formation so. as to render it morepliable and, therefore, more easily expanded and contracted over andupon the mouth of the bottle than would otherwise be possible, the termrumple being used in its.` broadest sense to indicate irregular andrelatively iine wrinkles.

Other objects relating to the means for forming the rim corrugations(ribs and grooves) and rumpled skirt will be brought out in thefollowing description.

In the drawings:-

Figure'l 4is a top plan of my improved bottle cap.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View taken on line 3 3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail horizontal sectional view of a portion ofthe skirt of the cap taken on line 4 4, Figure 3.

Figures 5 and 6 are vertical sectional views respectively of the upperand lower sets of dies i for forming'the cap, a portion of the sheetfrom which the cap is to be formed being shown by dotted lines asresting upon the upper face of the lower set of dies, the dies of bothsets being shown in their normal open positions.

Figure 7 is an inverted end view of the upper set of dies shown inFigure 5.

Figure 8 is a top plan of the lower set of dies shown in Figure 6.

Figure 9 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of both sets of the diesin their closed cap-forming positions, the cap being shown in section.

Figure 10 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on line Ill-IIJ,Figure 9, showing portions of the adjacent ends of the lower and uppercorrugating dies, but more particularly the relation of the cooperativesets of balls for forming the ribs and grooves in the rim of thecup-shaped central portion of the cap.

Figure 11 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of one side of theupper end of the lower diepost and lower end of one side of the upperdie in position to form the rim corrugations of the bottle cap togetherwith a portion of the spring ring in position for rumpling the skirt ofthe cap, a portion of which is also shown in section, the dotted linesindicating theposltion of the ribs when the cap is nished.

As illustrated more clearly in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive and Figures 9and 10, the bottle cap is made of extremely thin or tissue aluminum orits equivalent having a high degree of ductility, malleability andtenacity, together with inherent lightness and non-corrodibility andcomprises a substantially cylindrical cup-shaped central portion Ihaving an outturned rim 2 and a marginal skirt 3, all of which parts arearranged about a common axis representing the axisy of thewbottle towhich the cap is to be applied.

'Ihe bottle (not shown) to which the cap is to be applied may be of anywell-known construction having the usual inner annular ledge, therounded rim, enlarged head, and reduced neck.

The cup-shaped portion l of the cap is of slightly less diameter thanthat of the interior of the mouth of the bottle to allow it to readily-seat itself therein under its own weight preparatory to sealing thesame by any suitable capping machine, and is provided with asubstantially at and horizontal bottom portion I' disposed in a plane atsubstantially right angles to the axis and adapted, if necessary, torest upon the inner annular ledge of the mouth of the bottle.

The rim 2 of the cap is concave-convex in cross section to conform moreor less closely to the rounded contour of the top of the bottle withwhich it is adapted to engage.

'I'he skirt portion 3 is of slightly greater diameter than the externalperiphery of the head of the bottle to enable it to readily pass overand around the same during the capping operation. The overturned rim 2is provided with raised ribs 4 and grooves 5 alternating with each otherin regular order throughout the' circumference of the rim, therebyestablishing regular corrugations for reinforcing purposes and also topermit the inner upright side walls of the rim to be expanded into closeengagement with the inner periphery of the mouth of the bottle bysuitable capping means, not necessary to herein illustrate or describe,because this expansion of the rim of the cap takes place only during thecapping operation.

The ribs 4 are relatively narrow as compared with the width of thegrooves 5 but are arranged' in uniformly spaced relationcircumferentially and are of uniform height to stiifen the rim andthereby to hold the bottom portion I' and skirt portion 3 in more orless fixed concentric relation. 'I'he skirt 3 is rumpled or irregularlycrinkled axially to enable it to be easily placed over and upon the headof the bottle without material friction therewith and at the same timepermitting the lower edges thereof to be easily con- 0 tracted aroundthe outer periphery of the head and neck of the bottle undercomparatively light inward' radial pressure on all parts thereof duringthe capping operation.

The ribs 4 extend substantially radially across the top of the rim 2 andalso extend downwardly therefrom along the inner upright side of the rimto points close to but slightly separated from the bottom I so that whenthecap is applied to the head of the bottle, the upright inner Walls ofthe cup-shaped portion I may be expanded by a suitable capping die orplunger tightly against the inner periphery of the mouth of the bottleto effectively prevent the leakage of the contents of the bottle throughthe joint, leaving the radial portions of the ribs and bottom walls ofthe grooves 5 in substantially their original positions after havingbeen previously formed.

Specific mechanism is provided for forming the cap as described so thatall portions of the cap m'ay be formed in practically one and the sameoperation.

As illustrated, this cap forming means comprises a lower set of diesmounted in and upon vertically spaced and relatively stationarysupporting members 6 and 6', and an upper set of dies mounted in andupon a vertically movable plunger plate 'l adapted to be reciprocatedvertically toward and from the upper frame member 6' by any suitablemeans, not necessary to herein illustrate or describe.

Lower set of dies The lower set.of dies preferably comprises a 65relatively stationary upright post 8 rigidly mounted upon the lowerframe member 6 to extend upwardly therefrom, and for this purpose hasits lower end reduced in diameter and tightly secured in an opening 8 insaid frame member with its lower end substantially coincident with thelower face thereof.

A clamping screw 9 is screwed from the underside upwardly into a centralthreaded socket I0 in the lower end of the post 8 and is provided 75with a washer II engaged with the head of the bolt and with theunderside of the frame member 6 to rmly clamp the post to said memberagainst relative axial pr angular movement and, if necessary, the postmay be locked to the frame member 6 by means of a key I I', as shown inFigure 6.

The portion of the post 8 above the frame member 6 is preferablycylindrical and of a diameter corresponding to the internal diameter ofthe skirt 3 of the cap to be formed on the upper end thereof butsomewhat greater than the external diameter of the head of the bottlefor a purpose presently described.

The upper end face of the post 8 and upper face of the upper framemember 6' are disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane forreceiving and supporting the sheet material as A shown by dotted linesin Figure 6 and from which the cap is to be formed, it being understoodthat the sheet material may be intermittingly fed in any suitable mannerfrom a reel or other source of supply across and upon the upper face ofthe upper frame member 6.

'I'he upper outer annular corner of the post 8 is provided with amultiplicity of relatively small substantially hemispherical sockets I2arranged in relatively close but uniformly spaced relationcircumferentially entirely around the periphery of the post forreceiving and supporting a corresponding number of relativelysmallhardened metal balls or bearing members I3 of the same radius as theirrespective sockets I2.

The diagonally opposite walls of the open sides of the sockets I 2 arepreferably crimped or swaged against the adjacent portions of theirrespective balls to rmly hold the latter in operative position againstdisplacement and preferably lagainst relative rotation so that the outerlateral faces of the balls will be substantially coincident with theadjacent portions of the periphery of the post 8, thus providing theupper outer corner of the post with a corresponding number of rounded orspherical bearings around which the skirt 3 of the cap may be bent, in amanner hereinafter more fully explained.

The top of the post 8 is provided with a circular recess I6 of somewhatless diameter than the interior diameter of the mouth of the bottle, thelower end of which is slightly enlarged to receive and retain aresilient cushion plate I1 of rubber or equivalent material adapted torest upon the flat bottom of the recess and against the peripheral wallsthereof, as shown in Figures 6 and 9. l

This recess extends upwardly above the upper face of the cushion I'I adistance substantially equal to the axial depth of the cup-shapedportions of the cap I and its internal diameter is substantially equalto the external diameter of said cup-shaped portion so that when thelatter is pressed into the upper end of the recess and against the upperface of the cushion I'I in a manner presently described, it will formthe central cup of the cap of somewhat less external diameter than theinternal diameter of the mouth of the bottle, as shown in Figure 3.

The object of the resilient cushion I'I is to facilitate the embossingof the bottom of the cup by embossing characters on the lower face ofthe upper cup-forming die, hereinafter explained.

Provision is made for replacing .these cushions from time to time asthey become worn and for this purpose, the post 8 is provided with acentral lengthwise guide opening I8 extending therethrough and throughthe clamping screw 9 for receiving an ejector rod I9 which extendsdownwardly through the guide opening I8 and below the lower end of theclamping screw y9, the upper end of said ejector rod` being enlarged at28 to normally rest in a reduced extension of the circular recess I6 andagainst the lower face of the cushion I1 so that when the cushionbecomes worn or otherwise impaired it may be'expelled from the recess I3by upward movement of the ejector rod I9.

A new cushion may then be inserted from the top downward into'andagainst the bottom of the recess I6 to rest against the upperenlargedend 20 of the ejector stem. 1

The upper frame member 6 is provided with a circular opening 2|concentric with the axis of the post 8 and of somewhat greater diameterthan that of the circular blank from which the cap IA is to be formed,the upper end of said opening being enlarged for receiving a hardenedmetal shearing ring 22 which is secured in place by clamping bolts 23with itsl upper face in the same plane as that of the frame member '6'as shown in Figures 6 and 9.

The inner diameter of the shearing ring 22 is slightly less than that ofthe underlying portion of the opening'2I land is of the same diameter atthe top as that of the at blank from which the cap is to be formed.

A tubular clamping member 24 is telescopically mounted upon theperiphery of the upper end of the post 8 for `relative vertical movementandhas its upper end enlarged to the interior diam eter of the shearingring 22 to closely t therein when inl its up position, as shown inFigure 6, said enlargement having `its lower end provided with anannular shoulder 25 adapted to engage the underside of the adjacentportion of the ring 22 to limit the upward movement of the tubularclamping `member 2,4.

The vertical depth vof, the annular enlargement on the upper end `of thetubular clamping member 24 is somewhat less'than that of the ring 22 butis supplemented by an additional hardened metal ring 26 of the sameexternal diameter as the internaly diameter of the ring 22 and issecured to the upper face'of the tubular clamping member 24 by screws orbolts 26', it being understood that the inner diameter of the ring 26 isequal to the external diameter of the post 8, as shown in Figure 6.

A spring 21 is interposed between the enlarged upper end of the clampingmember 24 end upper face of the lower frame member 6 around the post 8for yieldingly holding the clamping member 24 in its uppermost positionwith its shoulder 25 engaging the underside `of the ring 22, as shown inFigure 6.

Upper set of dies Theupper set of cap forming dies are mounted upon the.plunger member 1 and comprises an inverted cylindrical cup-shaped member28 having its upper end secured by bolts 29 to the underside of theplunger plate 1 to extend downwardly therefrom in co-axial relation tothe post 8, the interior diameter of the klower half of thev member 28being somewhat greater than the external diameter of the skirtl 3 of thecap I and, therefore,` of still greater diameter than the externaldiameter of the upper end of the post 8'so that when the plunger plate 1is moved downwardly to its pressing position in the act of forming theskirt 3, the lower end of the member 28 will extend around the upper endof the post in spaced relation thereto, as shown in Figure 9.

The top wall of the member 28 is provided with a central pendant boss 38extending downwardly therefrom co-axial with the post 8 and ofconsiderably less external diameter than the internal diameter of theouter portions of the member 28 to form an intervening armular chamber3|, the upper half'of which is of less diameter than that of the lowerhalf previously mentioned for a purpose presently described. r

A cup-forming die 32 is secured to the lower end of the boss 30 by meansof a clamping bolt 33 extending centrally through said boss and havingits lower end threaded and engaged in a threaded aperture in the die 32which is held against rotation relatively to said boss by a key or pin34, as shown in Figures 5 and 9.

The external diameter of the die 32 is equal to the interior diameter ofthe cup-shaped portion of the cap I formed thereby but is of somewhatless diameter than that of the interior of the mouth of the bottle.

A sleeve 35 is reciprocally movable within the chamber 3I around thepost 38 and die 32, the upper end of the sleeve being reduced to aboutthe same diameter as that of the boss while the lower end is enlarged toabout the same diameter as that of the interior of the lower half of themember 28.

The interior diameter of the remaining portions of the sleeve aresubstantially the same as the external diameter of the die 32 so thatthe dies and boss and also the interior walls of the lower half of thechamber 3l serve to guide the sleeve in its vertical movement, saidsleeve being held against angular movement relatively to the memberr 28by means of a key 36, Figure 9.

The member 28 extends downwardly from its supporting plate 1 somedistance below the lower face of the cupping die 32 and has its lowerend reduced and threaded externally and engaged by an internallythreaded shearing member 31 of the same external diameter as that of themember 28 and also of about the same external diameter as the internaldiameter of the lower shearing ring 22 with which it is adapted tocooperate for cutting a circular blank from the sheet material Apreparatory to forming the cap, shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

The upper shearing ring 31 is also preferably madeV of hardened steeland is provided with peripheral recesses 31' for receiving a Spannerwrench or equivalent by which it may be tightened and loosened whenassembling or disassembling the parts of the upper cap-forming dies.

The portion of the shearing ring 31 below the lower end of the, member28 is provided with a concave annular groove 38 in which is seated theouter periphery of a circular coil spring 39, the

`or less freely therein and is held against displacement therefrom underits own tension, it being understood that the helixes of the spring willbe arranged in close proximity to each other, particularly at the innerside of the coil for rumpling the skirt of the bottle cap during thecap-forming operation. v.

It will be noted upon reference to Figure 5 that the lower end face oithe ring 31 is beveled upwardly and inwardly and that the coil spring 31projects inwardly beyond the lower wall of the 5 groove 38 while theupper edge of the spring' abuts against the lower end face of the member28 to cooperate with the lower wall of the groove 38 in holding thespring against vertical displacement.

The inwardly protruding portions of the coil spring 39 serve as a stopfor engaging the lower end of the sleeve 35 and thereby limiting thedownward movement of said sleeve when-the upper set of dies is raised toits normal position so that the lower end face of the sleeve 35 willnormally be disposed in about the same horizontal planeas the lower endface of the member 28 and upper face of the coil spring 39, as shown inFigure 5.

The lower end face of the sleeve 35 is provided with a multiplicity ofrelatively small substantially hemi-spherical recesses 48 for receivinga corresponding number of hardened metal balls or bearing members 4I,the recesses and balls being arranged in uniformly spaced relationcircumferentially a slightly greater distance from the axis of thesleeve 35 than the balls I3, but in relatively close proximity to eachother at the lower outer corner of the sleeve.

The number of balls 4I and recesses 40 corresponds to the number ofballs I3 in the upper end of the post 8, but are arranged in opposed butslightly offset radial relation to those of the other set as shown inFigure 9, to facilitate the corrugation of the rim 2 of the cap I andthereby to form the ribs 4 'and grooves 5 in a manner hereinafterdescribed.

The length of the arcs of each of the sockets is slightly greater thanhalfA the circumfer- 40 ence of each of the balls so that after theballs have been placed in operative position in said sockets the innerwalls thereof may be crimped or swaged inwardly to hold the balls intheir operative positions with their lower portions projecting slightlybeyond the lower end face of the sleeve 35.

A collar 42 is slidably mounted upon the periphery of the lower portionof the cup-shaped member 28 for relative vertical movement'there- 5U ofand is provided with vertically elongated slots 43 for receiving radialguide pins 44 which are screwed into the adjacent sides of the member 28for holding the collar against angular movement relatively to the member28 while permitting its free vertical movement.

This collar normally extends downwardly a short distance below the lowerend face of the shearing ring 31 and is adapted to cooperate with theupper face of the shearing ring 22 for holding the sheet material in xedposition during the shearing cooperation of the ring 31 with theshearing ring 22.

The upper ends of the slots 43 are closed to cooperate with the pins 44for limiting the downward movement of the collar 42.

Suitable guide rods 45 are secured to the plate 1 to extend downwardlytherefrom at opposite sides of the member 28, the lower ends of saidrods being extended through registering apertures 46 in the upper end ofthe collar to assist in guiding the latter in its vertical movement.Suitable coil springs 41 are interposed between the upper end of thecollar 42 and lower face of T5 the plate 1 around the rods 45 foryieldingly holding the collar in its extreme downward position, as shownin Figure 5.

The lower end of the cupping die 32 is provided with a multiplicity ofvertically elongated peripheral slots 32', Figures 5 and '1, arranged inuniformly spaced circumferential relation corresponding to the spacingof the balls 4I for receiving the inner ends of the ribs 4 of the bottlecap I as the central portion thereof is depressed by the die 42 into theupper end of the opening I6 in the top of the lower die post 8, as willbe hereinafter more fully described.

Operation Assuming that the plunger plate 1 and dies carried thereby arein their normal positions with relation to the lower die-supportingframe, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, and that the sheet metal from whichthe caps, shown in Figures l, 2 and 3, are to be formed is fed acrossand upon the upper face of the upper frame member 6' to the positionshown by dotted lines in Figure 6.

The plunger plate 1 and parts carried thereby are then moved downwardlyuntil the lower end of the collar 42 engages the upper face of the sheetA to clamp and to temporarily hold the sheet in position to be cut uponthe upper face ofthe ring 22.

Immediately following this engagement of the lower end of the yieldingcollar 42 with the sheet material, the continued downward movement ofthe plunger plate 1 will bring the cutter ring 31 into shearingengagement with the lower shearing ring 22 for cutting a circular diskfrom the sheet material of the same diameter as the interior diameter ofthe shearing ring 22.

Simultaneously with this cutting operation, the pressure of thedownwardly moving shearing ring 31 and coil spring 39 upon the marginaledge of the disk will bend said marginal edge downwardly around theouter faces of the balls I3, at the same time depressing the sleeve 24against the action of its retracting spring 21.

Then, as the downward movement of the upper set of dies continues, thecollar 42 will be yieldingly held in its clamping position by means ofthe springs 41 against the upper face of the lower cutter ring 22 sothat after the cutting operation just described, the downward bending ofthe marginal. edge oi the previously cut disk will continue through theengagement of the inner face of the coil spring 39 therewith and beforethe lower end of the die 32 has been brought into engagement with thepreviously cut disk, thus leaving the remaining portions of the disk ina iiat horizontal plane, Figure l1.

As previously stated, the annular coil spring 39 is free to roll in itsannular bearing 38 with more or less irregularity throughout its length,the eifect of which is to rumple the downwardly turned skirt portion ofthe disk around the upper end of the post 8 in that the wrinkles orcrinkles will be formed by the inner sides of the numerous helices ofthe coil spring which presses the skirt against the periphery of thepost, it being understood that the inner sides of the coil spring willbe more or less compressed by reason of their engagement with said skirtduring the descent of the plunger plate 1 and parts carried thereby.

The normal distance between the lower face of the upper die member 32and horizontal center of the spring 39 is greater than the depth of theskirt 3 of the' finished bottle cap so that as the plunger plate 1 withthe dies thereon continue their downward movement, or at about the sametime that the spring 39 passes beyond the lower edge of the previouslydown-turned skirt portions 3, the die member 32 will engage and depressthe central portion of the disk into the upper end of the open- 5 ing I6and against the upper face of the cushion thereon will be elevated totheir normal up positions, as shown in Figure 5, thus permitting thesleeve 24 to be returned upwardly to its starting 20 position by itssprings 21 for stripping or ejecting the iinished bottle cap from thetopl of the post 8 during which operation the collar 42 will be returneddownwardly to its lowermost starting position by the springs 4l whilethe upper die sleeve 5 35 will be returned to its normal down positionby its own weight or by other means, if required, the apparatus beingthen in position for a repetition of the operation described for formingother similar caps.

The lower end of the skirt of the cap will then be in the opening in thesheet material from which the bottle cap disk was previously cut and, asthe sheet is again moved to register another portion `thereof with andbetween the opposed setsof dies, the finished cap will be carriedforwardly therewith to one side of the dies where it is free to dropthrough the, opening onto the head of the bottle to be capped or may beremoved by hand or otherwise for subsequent place- 40 ment upon the headof the bottle preparatory to sealing the same thereon by a suitablecapping machine, not shown.

When the finished bottle cap has been placed upon the head of the bottlein any manner with 45 its cup-shaped portion in the mouth thereof andits skirt portion surrounding the head and adjacent portion of the neckof said bottle, the peripheral walls of the cup-shaped portion will beexpanded against the walls of said mouth 50 while the skirt portion willbe compressed against the outer periphery of the head and neck to rmlyhold the cap in place against accidental displacement and at the sametim-e to form a liquid-tight and air-tight joint with the bottle, itbeing un- 5 derstood that the bottom of the skirt will then becompressed around the neck of the bottle just below the bead or roll onthefhead thereof.

Any suitable capping machine or other means may be employed for applyingthe finished cap to and sealing it upon the head of the bottle in themanner described, and 1t is to be understood that the present inventionrelates to the construction of the cap and the method of and apl paratusfor making the same including any equivalents thereof irrespective ofthe means for applying the finished cap to the bottle except insofar asdisclosed.

It will be noted upon reference to Figures 9 and 11, that the balls-4Iproject slightly below 0 the lower end face of the die sleeve 35 to forman annular space so that when the dies are closed upon the cap in theact of vforming the ribs 4 and grooves 5, the upwardly projecting radialribs may be readily drawn into and through said 5 space while the lowerfaces of the grooved portions are free to move across and upon the upperend face of the lower die 8.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for making bottle caps from sheet material, meansincluding a collar for cutting a circular disk from said sheet, andmeans including a coil-sp-ring ring co-axial with said collar forbending the marginal edge of the disk axially to form a skirt.

2. In an apparatus for making bottle caps from sheet material, means forcutting a circular disk from said sheet, means including a coil-springring for bending the marginal edge of the disk'axially to form a skirt,and means for depressing the central portion of the disk into cup-shapedform.

3. In an apparatus for making bottle caps from sheet material, means forcutting a circular disk from said sheet, a circular die having amultiplicity of rounded bearing members on one end near the peripherythereof, said bearings being arranged in uniformly spaced relation aboutthe axis of the die for supporting the disk coaxial with the die, andmeans including a resilient ring co-axial with said axis for bending themarkginal edge of the disk axially against said memers.

4. In an apparatus for making bottle caps from sheet material, means forcutting a circular disk from said sheet, a circular die of less diameterthan the disk for supporting the disk` coaxial therewith, and meansincluding a coil spring ring col-axial with said die for bending themarginal edge of the disk axially around and against the periphery ofthe die to form a rumpled skirt.

5. In an apparatus for making bottle caps from sheet material, meansforl cutting a circular disk from said sheet, a circular die forsupporting the` disk co-axial with the die, means for bending themarginal edge of the disk axially around the die, means for pressingthe' central portion of the disk axially into cup-shaped form, and meansfor corrugating the side walls of the cup during the cupping operation.

6. In an apparatus for making overall bottle caps from disks of sheetmaterial, a die having one end provided with a multiplicity of bearingsarranged in uniformly spaced relation about the axis thereof forsupporting a disk co-axial therewith, and means including a resilientring coaxial with said axis for pressing the marginal edge of the diskagainst sai-d bearing members and around the periphery of the die.

7. In an apparatus for making overall bottle caps from disks of sheetmaterial, a die having one end provided with a multiplicity of bearingsarranged in uniformly spaced relation about the axis thereof forsupporting adisk co-axial therewith, and means for pressing the marginaledge of the disk against said bearing members and around the peripheryof the die, said means including a coil spring ring for engaging themarginal edge of the disk as it is pressed around the periphery of thedie.

8. In an apparatus for making bottle caps from sheet material, co-axialdies relatively movable toward and from each other and having their 9.In an apparatus for forming a bottle cap from a disk of sheet material,the combination of cooperative male and female dies relatively movableaxially andbetween which the disk is placed, the female die having acylindrical bore for receiving the male die, a disk-engaging memberprojecting inwardly beyond the walls of the bore around the axis thereoffor pressing the marginal edges of the disk around and upon the l0adjacent end of the male die when the dies are brought together to formthe skirt of the cap, the relative axial movement of the dies beingsumcient to carry said member beyond the end of said skirt after theskirt is formed, and means for cupping the central portion of the diskwhile said member is still beyond the end of the skirt to allow saidskirt to move axially of the male die without friction with said memberduring the cupping operation.

10. In an apparatus for forming a bottle cap from a disk of sheetmaterial, the combination of cooperative male and female dies relativelymovable axially for pressing the marginal edges of the disk around andupon the adjacent end of the male die when the dies are brought togetherto form the skirt of the cap, means for cupping the central portion ofthe disk and means for corrugating the portions of the disk between thecupped portion and skirt portion during the cupping operation.

11. In an apparatus for forming a bottle cap from a disk of sheetmaterial, the combination of co-axial holding dies relatively movableaxially and between which the disk is placed, said dies 35 being adaptedto engage opposite faces of the disk under yielding pressure when thedies are brought together, means for pressing the marginal edges of thedisk axially around one of the dies to form a skirt, and means forcupping the cen- 40 trai portion of the disk after the skirt has beenformed.

12. In an apparatus for forming a bottle cap from a disk of sheetmaterial, co-axial male and female dies relatively movable axially forreceiv- 45 ing the disk between them, the female die having acylindrical bore for'receiving the male die and provided with a roundedmember projecting inwardly beyond the walls of the bore around the axisthereof for engaging and bending the` mar- 50 ginal edge of the diskaround the male die to form the skirt of the cap, -a holding die withinthe female die coaxial therewith and relatively movable axially therein,said holding die and male die being cooperatively arranged to engage op-55 posite faces of the disk during the skirt-forming operation, meansfor Epping the central portion of the disk while the latter is engagedby the male die and holding die, and means for corrugating a portion ofthe disk during the cupping operation.

13. In an apparatus for forming bottle caps from sheet material, thecombination of means for cutting a cap blank from said sheet, a formingdie coaxial with said cutting means provided with a multiplicity ofrounded bearing members about 65 the axis thereof for supporting theblank coaxial with said die, and additional means arranged coaxial withthe forming die and movable relatively thereto for pressing the marginalportion of the 70 blank against said members and around the surface ofsaid die.

14. In an apparatus for forming a bottle cap from a cap blank of sheetmaterial, the combination of coaxial forming dies relatively movabletowardand from each other, and between which diate portion of the blankacross said members v for corrugating the same.

15. In an apparatus for forming a bottle cap from a cap blank of sheetmaterial, the combination of means for supporting the blank,and meansarranged coaxially with the first mentioned means and movable relativelythereto for pressing the marginal portion of the blank around thesurface of the irst mentioned means, one of said means being providedwith an uneven surface co-operating with the adjacent surface of theother means to form a rumpled skirt during said relative movement.

16. In an apparatus for forming a bottle cap from a cap blank of sheetmaterial, the combination of means for supporting the blank, separatemeans arranged coaxial with the first means and movable relativelythereto for pressing the marginal portion of the blank around thesurface of said first mentioned means, one of said means being providedwith a resilient uneven surface co-operating with the adjacent surfaceof the other means to form a skirt during said relative movement.

17. In an apparatus for forming a bottle cap from a cap blank of sheetmaterial, the combination of means for supporting the blankcoaxialtherewith, separate blank forming means arranged coaxial with the firstmeans and movable relatively thereto for pressing the marginal portionof the blank around the surface of said first mentioned means, saidforming means having one of the co-operating-surfaces thereof uneven orirregular, and the other surface smooth or regular, and one of saidco-operating surfaces being resilient to form a rumpled skirt duringsaid relative movement.

18. In Ian apparatus for forming skirted bottle caps from a disk ofsheet material, a die against which the disk is adapted to bespportedcoaxial therewith, forming means for yieldingly holding the diskagainst the die, means for bending the marginal portions of the diskaround and upon the die to form the skirt, and means for cupping thecentral portion of the disk by drawing the portions engaged by .theholding means inwardly toward said axis whereby said cupped portion isprovided with an uneven expansible side wall.

19. In an apparatus for forming a skirted bottle cap from a disk ofsheet material. a die against which the disk is adapted to be supportedcoaxial therewith, an axially movable holding die coaxial with the firstdie having bearing members spaced circumferentially around the axisthereof for engaging the disk, and means for forcing the marginalportions of the disk around and upon the iirst named die to form theskirt.

20. In an apparatus for forming a skirted bottle cap from a disk ofsheet material, a die against which the disk is adapted to be supportedand having its disk-supporting end provided with bearing memberscircumferentially spaced about the axis thereof, an axially movableholding die coaxial with the first named die for pressing the diskthereagainst and having its disk-engaging end provided with bearingmembers arranged in circumferentially spaced relation about the axisthereof, and means forengaging and forcing the marginal edges of thediskaround and upon the first named die to form the skirt.

21. In an apparatus for forming a skirted bottle cap from a disk ofsheet material, forming means operatively and yieldingly engaging thedisk some distance from the center and outer edge thereof, means forbending the marginal portion of the disk axially, and means for forcingthe central portion of the disk axially and thereby drawing the portionengaged by the first means inwardly and forming said latter portion withan uneven expansible wall.

22. In an apparatus for forming a skirted bottle cap from a disk ofsheet material, the combination of cooperating male and femaleskirt-forming dies adapted when brought together to press the marginaledge of the disk around and upon the male die to form the skirt and tocause said dies to release their pressure upon the skirt after thelatter has been formed, and means for cupping the central portion of thediskafter the skirt has been released from the pressure of the dies.

23. In an apparatus for forming a skirted bottle cap from a disk ofsheet material, a die of less diameter than the disk and provided withbearing members in spaced relation about its axis for supporting thedisk coaxially therewith, means for bending the marginal portion of thedisk axiallyaround and upon the die beyond said bearing members to formthe skirt, and means for forcing the central portion of the disk in thesame direction as the skirt and therebyto draw the portions of the diskengaged by said bearings inwardly.

24. In an apparatus for forming a skirted bottle cap from a disk ofsheet material, coaxial male and female dies relatively movable axiallyand between which the disk is adapted to be supported coaxial therewith,the male die beingof considerablyless diameter than that of the disk, anaxially movable member cooperating -with the l male die to yieldinglyhold the disk coaxial therewith, means for bending the marginal portionof the disk around and upon the male die, and means for forcing thecentral portion of the disk axially and thereby to draw the portion ofthe disk engaged by the male die and holding die inwardly.

25. In an apparatus for forming a skirted bottle cap from a cap blank ofsheet material, the combination of coaxial holding dies relativelymovable axially and between which the blank is placed, at least one ofsaid dies being provided with a multiplicity of bearing surfacesarranged about the axis thereof, blank forming means arranged coaxialwithv said dies, means for producing relative movement of the dies andsaid forming means for bending the marginal portion of the capblankabout said bearing surfaces and around the surface of one of thedie-members to :form a skirt, and for moving said forming member out ofengagement therewith at the end cf the forming operation to release theskirt, and additional means for producing relative movement of the cap-blank and the bearing surfaces after the forming means has released theskirt for corrugating or wrinkling an intermediate portion of the blank.

26. In an apparatus for forming a skirted bottle cap from a cap blank ofsheet material, the combination of coaxial holding dies relativelymovable axially and between which the blank is placed, blank formingmeans arranged coaxial With said dies, means for producing relativemovement of the dies and said forming means for bending the marginal`portion of the cap blank around the surface of one of the die membersto form a skirt, and for moving said forming means beyond the skirt outof engagement therewith to release the skirt, and additional meansengaging an intermediate portion of the blank after the skirt has beenreleased for corrugating or wrinkling said intermediate portion of theblank.

27. In an apparatus for forming a skirted bottle cap from a cap blank ofsheet material, the combination of coaxial holding dies relativelymovable axially and between which the blank is placed, said dies havingtheir adjacent ends provided respectively with bearing surfaces arrangedabout the axis thereof, means adapted to engage the blank for bendingthe marginal portion of said blank about the bearing surfaces of one ofsaid dies to form a skirt and then to move out of engagement therewithto release the skirt, and additional means for drawing the blank betweenthe bearing members after the skirt has been released for corrugating orwrinkling an intermediate portion of the blank.

28. In an apparatus for forming a bottle cap from a cap blank of sheetmaterial, the combination of coaxial holding dies between which theblank is placed and relatively movable axially for engaging oppositefaces of the blank, at least one of said dies being provided withbearing surfaces arranged about the axis thereof, means comprising aforming element associated with one of the dies and movable relativelythereto for cupping the central portion of the blank whereby the portionof the blank adjacent the bearing surfaces will be drawn inwardly forcorrugating said portions, said forming element being provided withrecesses in the wall thereof for receiving said corrugations during thecupping operation.

29. In an apparatus for forming a bottlecap from a cap `blank of sheetmaterial, the combination of coaxialholding dies between which the blankis placed and relatively movable axially for Y engaging opposite facesof the blank, cooperating means comprising a forming element and arecess adapted to receive said element associated respectively with saiddies fer cupping the central portion of the blank whereby the portion ofthe blank engaged, by the holding dies will be drawn inwardly, and meansfor corrugating said portion, one of said cooperating means beingprovided with recesses in the wall thereof for` receiving saidcorrugations during the cupping operation.

30. In an apparatus for forming a bottle cap from a cap blank of sheetmaterial, the combination of coaxial holding dies between whichl theblank is placed and relatively movable axially for engaging oppositefaces of the blank, at least one of said dies being provided with raisedbearing surfaces arranged around the axis thereof adapted to engage anintermediate portion of the blank, and means for producing relativemovement of the blank and said bearing surfaces when the dies are inholding engagement with the blank `for corrugating or wrinkling aportion of the blank.

31. In an apparatus for forming a bottle cap from a cap blank of sheetmaterial, the combination of coaxial holding dies between which theblank is placed and relatively movable axially for engaging oppositefaces of the blank, at least one of 'said dies being provided withraised bearing 10 bination of coaxial holding die members relativelymovable axially and between which the blank is placed, at least one ofsaid die members including a multiplicity of bearing surfaces arrangedabout the axis thereof and adapted to engage an intermediate portion ofthe blank,

means adapted to engage the blank for bending the marginal portion ofsaid blank about one of the die members to form a skirt, means fordrawing the blank across said bearing surfaces for corrugating orwrinkling an intermediate portion thereof, and means for maintainingsaid bearing surfaces in engagement with the blank under yieldingpressure during said corrugating operation.

33. In an apparatus for forming a skirted bottle cap from a cap blank ofsheet material, the combination of coaxial holding die membersrelatively movable axially and between which the blank is placed, atleast one of said die members including a multiplicity of bearingsurfaces arranged about the axis thereof and adapted to engage anintermediate portion of the blank, means for producing relative movementof said die members to bend a marginal portion of the blank axially toform a skirt, means for drawing the blank across said bearing surfacesfor corrugating or wrinkling an intermediate portion thereof, and meansfor maintaining said bearing surfaces in engagement with the blank underuniform yielding pressure during the forming of the skirt andl saidcorrugations or Wrinkles.

34. In an apparatus for forming a bottle cap from a cap blank of sheetmaterial, coaxial dies relatively movable toward and from each other,

and having their adjacent ends provided respectively with a multiplicityof bearing surfaces arranged about the axis thereof at diierent radialdistances from said axis and adapted to engage an intermediate portionof said blank, and means for forcing the central portion of the blankaxially and thereby drawing the portion of the blank engaged by the'bearing surfaces inwardly and forming said central portion with anuneven expansible Wall.

35. A device of the class described,'comprising in combination, a diemember, shearing means, means foi" actuating the shearing means to cut adisk from said sheet material and to bring the 'disk into operativerelation with the die, resilient means carried by the shearing means andactuated thereby for yieldingly bending a portion of the disk axiallyaround and upon the die, and additional means for removing the formeddisk from the die and releasably supporting the same in the disk openingformed in the sheet material to be removed by said sheet material fromthe vicinity of the die and shearing means, as a fresh portion of sheetmaterial is brought into operative relation with said shearing means.

36. A device of the class described, comprising in combination, a diemember, shearing means, means for actuating the shearing means to out adisk from said sheet material and to bring the disk into operativerelation With the die, means for bending a portion of the disk axiallyaround and upon the die, and additional means for removing the formeddisk from the die and releasably supporting the same in the disk openingformed in the sheet material to be removed by said sheet material fromthe vicinity of the die and shearing means, as a fresh portion of sheetmaterial is brought into operative relation with said shearing means.

37. A device of the class described comprising in combination, a diemember, shearing members associated with the die member having relativeaxial movement for receiving sheet material therebetween, means forproducing relative axial movement of the shearing members to cut a diskfrom said sheet material, a coil spring ring connected with one of theshearing members having a normal interior diameter not greater than theexterior diameter of the die and actuated by said shearing member forbending a portion of the disk around and against the periphery of thedie, and additional means for removing the formed disk from the die andreleasably supporting the same in the disk opening formed in the sheetmaterial to be removed by said sheet material from the vicinity of thedie, and shearing means, as a fresh portion of sheet material is broughtinto operative'relation with said shearing means.

38. A device of the class described, comprising in combination, a diemember, shearing members mounted co-axially with the die member adaptedto receive sheet material therebetween, a coil spring ring rotatablyconnected with one of the shearing members having a, normal interiordiameter not greater than the exterior diameter of the die, and meansfor producing relative axial movement of the shearing members and thedie to first cut a blank from said sheet material and then move the coilspring ring axially over the marginal portions of the disk in rollingengagement therewith for bending the same around and upon the die.

CHARLES A. MACCORDY.

